It is a common belief among the public that everyone in the Air Force flies and so everyone is a pilot. Another belief prevalent, though to a lesser degree, is that everyone in the Air Force is an Officer. Both these are far from the truth and if I may make a personal confession, by once giving the lie to the latter, I lost the girl I was to have married.

A certain number of ground crew is required to keep an aircraft airworthy, while the individual parts of the ship are attended to by individual tradesmen specialising in the particular branch. In addition to the aircraft, the maintenance and operation of the ground radar and wireless installations, M.T. vehicles, armament and photo equipment require a good number of ground technicians. The administrative services of the various establishments, the provisioning and despatchof stores and equipment, the accounts pertaining thereto and the security of the camp are looked after by non-technicians. These technicians and non-technicians who put their shoulders to the wheel and help maintain the high efficiency of the Air Force are, what they call, 'the ranks'. Or, shall I say, they belong to the lower deck?

Enrolment in the I.A.F. is not an easy matter. Severe medical, educational and psychological tests have to be negotiated before one gets a ticket to one of the training schools. Life in the training centre is neither cosy nor cumbersome. It is a life, disciplined and ordained, where the first seeds of airmanship are sown. If anyone thinks he is going to be coddled in the Air Force, he is sadly mistaken. But compared to us, the old-timers, the recruit of today is certainly at an advantage. His instructors are Indians and he lives with Indians.

People often shudder at the term "military discipline". True, the mainstay of any armed force is discipline. But what is it? In common parlance it may be called the spontaneous observance of certain rules and regulations, laid down for the proper and efficient functioning of an organisation. It is well known that no organisation, military or civil, can thrive without discipline. Anyone who has seen a bit of Service life would unhesitatingly say that there is nothing to be frightened about from discipline. Enforcement by well-meant rules is certainly not regimentation. If, perchance, this discipline results in a stray act of injustice, the way is always open to get the error remedied.

The recruit has to spend more than a year in the Training School, where general education and Service training are imparted. His successful completion of training takes him to an Air Force establishment and he commences his career as a full-fledged airman. And here is the rub. All airmen do not fly. As a matter of fact, the majority of them watch, from the ground, the aircraft flying.

The prerequisite of promotion in the I.A.F. is the passing of certain examinations or trade tests. Hence the airmen have always to be very well-versed in their job. The men are given further training, through refresher courses, so as to keep them in touch with the day-to-day scientific advancements in their trades.

The Air Force is a cosmopolitan organisation. United by a common uniform, ideal and outlook, its members, hailing from all parts of the country, forget their personal interests for the sake of a greater and nobler interest–the interest of the Service at large. They all live as members of one family. If today there is one place absolutely devoid of religious and provincial antipathy and free from nepotism it is inside the Defence Services. The English language, which is at present the official language of the Air Force, plays a vital role in achieving this harmonious blending.

Scientific but, nevertheless, rigid habits, coupled with sports activities, keep the men physically and mentally alert. Cases of illness are negligible considering the total strength of the force. No unhealthy influences are permitted to penetrate the Service and that is why its personnel steer well clear of any party politics in the country.